How to convert video to MPEG4 free

If you need to convert videos to MPEG4, go for free Freemake Video Converter. It changes any videos to MPEG-4 fast and easily. Add files in MP4, MOV, OGG and other extensions and encode them for watching on home theatre, Mac, smartphones, tablets, upload online or stream to a TV set. Save your hard drive space by keeping the media in a lightweight codec.

Follow the steps in this how-to to convert to MPEG4:

1

Download & run Free MPEG4 Converter

Download and install a free utility. It's for your portable or home computer. Please note that the freeware is not compatible with Mac. Start the installation file, read and accept Terms of use and then just click “Next” all the time. The official software doesn’t contain any third-party offers or plugins. Thus you can safely install it on your machine.

Please note that a fast Internet connection is required to install the tool. In case your connection lags, it’s recommended to download a full offline version of the app. The tool will automatically start when the installation completes.

2

Add files you want to encode

Select the files you want to transcode. And drag them into the app. You can add as many visuals as you wish. Your clips might come in different formats, sizes, and resolutions, but they should not be protected.

It’s not recommended to add many huge HD files at once, especially if your PC is not powerful enough.

3

Choose an output format

MPEG4 is not a format. It's a codec that can be used in AVI, MP4 or MKV container. The choice of the final file format depends on your goal. If you want to watch a clip on a portable device or upload to your web page, the MP4 option will be the best one for you.

To edit your file with professional software or watch it on TV sets and home theaters, go for the AVI option.

And finally, if you plan to stream the media or add more audio and video data to it, MKV extension is right for you.

4

Select clip parameters

Choose an output option. Click the corresponding green bubble to open the format settings.

In a new window, click the drop-down menu and select a ready quality preset or choose “Same as source”. Then click the blue cog-wheel right under the drop-down menu. Thus you will see the entire preset settings. Find a Video codec label and select MPEG4 from the menu. Don’t forget to click OK at the bottom of the window to apply the codec change.

If you know well the difference between a codec and an extension and what a clip editing is, you can create a completely personalized preset based on your parameters. Change the resolution of your clip, auto-adjust or stretch it, change audio and video bitrate, fps, and other settings. If necessary, save the custom preset and add it to a menu with the ready profiles.

5

Encode files to MPEG4

Convert files to MPEG4. Now run the transcoding process by clicking the “Convert” button. Depending on a number and type of the files you have, it may take some time.

If you don’t want to wait till the process finishes, click the “Shutdown the PC” option. When your new clips are ready, the software will shut your PC down. In case you suddenly need the whole capacity of your computer, click the “Pause” button to keep the encoding process on hold for some time. You can easily resume it later. Just don’t turn your PC off.

To say even more:

Freemake program can encode both offline clips and YouTube media. You don’t need to use a special downloader anymore. What you need to do is to copy YT content link and insert it into the too via the “Paste URL” button. Then just follow the guidelines above to save YouTube to MPEG 4.

MPEG-4 is widely used because media encoded with this codec occupies less space on a hard drive than the very same clips with other codecs. However, if you still think that your file is too large, you can correct its output size in Freemake before the transcoding. Pay attention to the small weight sign above the blue “Convert” button. Click it and insert the desirable parameter. The software will show you the minimum size you can’t go below to prevent your media quality loss.

In case you save files in MPEG-4 on a regular basis, you can add the corresponding formats into Favorites by clicking on the star sign next to each output option. From now on, when you launch the software, these formats will be on the first place.